Side wall seal for floating tank roofs



Sept. 1943- J. H. WIGGINS 2,329,965

SIDE WALL SEAL FOR momma TANK ROOFS ox igi nal Filed Dec. 2, 1958 FIG].

INVENTOH; J0 N H. W/GGINS ATTORNEY Patentedv Sept. 21, 1943 -smnwnnnsaALFoitwhoswmo" l. l; v I T Q J I arran m nt fiml -Qrigiiml application December 2, i928, stein no;

2473131. ilfivisddland this ff'llhis i nventionrelates to side wan seals-tier floating tank ore, J The object of *prcaride :a novel side wall seal that comprises a supporting-means, which is of'suc h designor f oohstrudtion that the..-seal' will be mounted on the floating roof in amanner theit insures said seal being main tained'in approximately parallel relationship to the tank sidewall and permits the p arts o'r-saia seal that are in rub'bing :con-- east "with the tank side wall to movewi reely itn all directions in a horizontal plane. Eitherob ieets and desirable team-res v 'of my invention' avill behereiizzaiite-r poi nted out. F- 3 il igure'a of the drawing fis-a top'qdlan a-fioatingjta'rik roof provided with a sideitwall s'eafl constructed accordance with my int/ enan enlarged wertlcal sectional WSW,

present invention istol is' aiiiplicati'on-is a division ol'ni-y applicatio'n saiai 1N9; 247M3 1, t r Floating tank' roars,

ofia split ring or' mad'e up of a 'plurality of relaside wail seal thatconsti tutes present invention is provided w'ftlia supporting means that comprises a s'ilural ity lQf hangers 'rodka' bly mounted on "the floating *roof and disposed =50 t.

that the upper ends or free ends of said hangers lean --against the inner face of the tank side wall, plus a means for suspending said side Wallseal, from said hangers in such a manner that said seal hangs substantially like a curtain. Preferably, the means that suspends the side wall seal from the hangers are constructed so that the seal can be adjusted vertically to change the horizontal relationship between the seal and the roof and maintain the seal in correct parallel relationship withthe tank side wall. Said hangers are arranged in spaced relationship around the peripheral portion of the floating roof, and,

are of suchdesign that in addition to suspending the side wall seal in a vertical position, said hangers exert pressure on the floating roof in a manner tending to maintain said floating roof, in concentric relationship with the side wall of the tank. This method of mounting a side wall seal on a floating tank roof is desirable, in that it utilizes the tank side wall to furnish onecomponent of the force required to sustain the hangers and the load thereon, and it allows the side wall seal to move freely in all directions in a it is capable or 'movingiinwardlyiand outwardly relatively-to the roof and is capab le iof a'slight "circumferential moveinent. The particular construction of the sidewall seal is immaterial," so tong as it consists" of :a .circumferentially flexible -c yl;indm'-cal-shaped member :orpart of; 'substan tial height or depth, {that bears against ithe inner side-of the tank side wall and extends around the'en tire eirdumifiennce :of said sidewall. 1 have-herein illustrated theside wall seal'.as.=c'on "sistlng of aici-zicumierentialiy flexible shoe of sub"- ;starrtial height, constructed so-as to .ibe rcapabie of conttormingmor approximately conforming, to the shape oithe curved or circular-shapednside wall or the tank as fisclii'bed in my :parentap- 'plieatien, saidlshoeibein-g-constructed:in the form 'tisvely lo'ng'armshaped members :or segmental members. l i p 3 v in :the aacoompanyingiidirawing whiehiillustrates gthe preferred dorm of myiinvention, al designates the iside wallof fth'etank,= z--designates the float- :ing-roof; sad iA desigxnat-e's' a side wall :seal 'formed dispose'd sea/ling device 15M, .sshown inciFig ur'e 'il,

' posed of one substantially continuous member provided with a sealed gap, or a plurality of segmental sections of substantial length with sealed gaps between the ends of same. v

The side wall seal or shoe A is supported by a plurality of rockable hangers B arranged on the top side of the roof 2 in spaced relation around the peripheral portion of same. Prefably, each of the hangersB is composed of an upright member formed preferably by a piece of angle iron, whose lower end portion has attached to same a horizontally-disposedtrunnioni 6 that is supported in bearings 1 on the floating The hangers move freely inwardly and roof.

substantially horizontal plane. In other words, outwardly, but they are effectively held against receives either a nut mounted on the top side of the bracket, or a pair of nuts 9 arranged above and below the bracket 8. By adjusting the rods .1 I

9, the level of the side wall seal can be changed so as to maintain said seal in parallel relationship with the side wall of the tank. The swinging hanger B is providedat-its upper end with j a roller or equivalent anti-friction device I] that T engages the inner face of the side wall I of the v tank, and a resilient means is associated with said hanger B, so as to normally'hold it me.

certain approximate position, but permit said hanger'to .move inwardly and outwardly slightly with relation to the side wall of the tank. 'Preferably, the means just referred to is formed by a spring rod Farranged vertically in a socket l2 on the floating roof, and provided at its upper end with a connecting member I3 that joins said spring rod F to the hangeriB. In the preferred form of my invention herein illustrated the connecting member i3 is formedby a horizontallydisposed frcd pivotally connected at M to the hanger, and provided atits opposite end with a threaded portion M which carries two nuts 15 that are arranged at the opposite sides of a bracketpiece i6 onthe upp'erend-of the spring -r0d F. The rod;9,-v from which the ,side wall seal A is suspended, givesfa'vertica1 lift in all positions, and causes the lift on the seal to go right against the seal itself, thereby'eliminating all overturning movement." In:effect,.the side wall seal Aresembles a relatively deep cylindrical curtain that hangs parallel to the side wall of the tank and-which is suspended from an overhead supporting structure formed by theswinging hangers B fOn the roof. If said curtain-like .seal A moves, circumferentially relatively to the floating roof, the weight of said curtain-likeseal will bring it backto its normal-position. The] roller II at the upper end ofthe hanger makes the hanger practically frictionless, and, on account of the relatively great length of, the swingu-In a; container for ing hanger B, the horizontal thrust of said hanger on the tank wall is very small and this is decreased to nearly zero by the pull back effect of the spring rod F. Thus, all the forces on the hanger relative to the roof tend to center the roof in the tank. In the normal operation of the roof the spring rod F pulls the hanger back,

if it moves out, andpushes the hanger out, if

the hanger moves inwardly from the position shown. The horizontal thrust of the side wall seal weight and friction is taken by the roller I I at the upper end of the hanger, thus eliminating friction, due to side wall seal weight.

Due to the fact that the seal is circumferentially flexible and is suspended like a curtain from an overhead supporting structure carried by the roof, a means must be employed to force the seal outwardly against the side wall of the tank. In the particular structure herein shown the side wall seal A is acted on intermediate its top and bottom edges by presser bars D that exert an outward pressure on said seal A in such a way as to produce a line contact between the tank side wall and the seal A throughout the entire circumference of said seal. Said presser bars D can be constructed and arranged in various ways. but they are here shown as being carried by spring-actuated, rockable devices mounted on the roof 2 in such a waythat thepresser bars bottom edges of same and force said seal outwardly towards the side wall of the tank. Having'thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters D engage the-seal A intermediate the. top and Patentiis: .l

storing liquids, the combination of a tank sidewalL-a floating roof, an

"annular-shaped sidewall seal of, substantial height or depth; disposed in approximately par- .allel relationship with said side wall, hangers on the roof, mounted so as to be capable of rocking inwardly and outwardly towards and away from said side wall,; swinging links on said hangers from which said seal is suspended, including means'for adjusting-said seal vertically relatively to said hangers, so asto change the horizontal (relationship between said seal and the roof, and devices that exert outward pressure on the seal intermediate the top and bottom edges of same to force'the seal outwardl towards the tank .-side wall. I

. JOHN H. WIGGINS. 

